Continuous casting plant



Nov. 7, 1967 w. HESS CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1965 Nov. 7, 1967 w. HESS cormuuous CASTING PLANT 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1965 United States Patent ()fiiice 3,351,124 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,351,124 CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT Walter Hess, Dusseldorf, Germany, assignor to Schloemann Aktiengesellschaft, Dusseldorf, Germany Filed Jan. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 428,139 Claims priority, application Germany, Jan. 28, 1964, Sch 34,533 12 Claims. (Cl. 164-274) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a continuous casting plant comprising a curved guide, a roller bed for the removal of the casting, a flexible starting bar, a starting bar receiving and supplying device, and a set of driving rollers for impelling the starting bar and the casting, said receiving and supplying device including a depositing surface which is movable into and out of alinement with said roller bed. The said receiving and supplying device may be either linear or drum-like in configuration.

This invention relates to continuous casting plant, comprising a flexible starting bar, which serves for starting the plant. Such plant frequently comprises a curved transit or flow-through chill-mold, and a curved roller guide, enclosing a secondary cooling tract; and the starting bar may be flexible, in which case it is preferably formed of individual members or links. In such installations the supplying and removing of the starting bar to and from the immediate working region of the continuous casting plant requires a considerable expenditure of time. This is to be attributed above all to the fact that for bringing the starting bar into and out of the continuous casting plant, the roller bed which is arranged beyond the continuous casting plant, and which is designed for the removal of the cast product, is employed. This presupposes that the starting bar must be removed from the roller bed immediately after the starting of the plant, in order that the product subsequently cast may find room on the roller bed. The plant can then only be taken into operation again when the last trace of the cast product has quitted the roller bed, in order to enable the starting bar to be introduced into the plant. A further disadvantage arises, particularly in multi-vein installations, from the fact that the starting bar cannot be deposited beside the roller bed, as is possible with single-strand installations, but has to be conveyed, for reasons of space, to the end of the roller bed, out of reach of the plant as a whole.

The object of the invention is to provide a continuous casting plant which will permit a quick introduction of the starting bar, without having to alter for this purpose the fundamental design of its construction, particularly in the case of multi-vein casting installations.

According to the invention this is attained by the feature that the starting bar runs directly on to a receiving device, which is arranged in the neighbourhood of the roller bed beyond the roller guide and the set of driving rollers, and is movable out of the depositing plane of the roller bed for the cast product, this receiving device serving at the same time as a feeding device for the starting bar when the continuous casting plant is being started. Owing to the fact that the starting bar no longer has to be supplied over the roller bed for the removal of the continuous casting from the plant after the completion of one casting operation, the plant can be taken back into use in a short time, since the front of the starting bar, with the starting head, can always remain in the immediate neighbourhood of the roller guide or of the set of driving rollers preceding it The starting'bar receiving device as a whole may advantageously be arranged outside the plane of deposition of the roller bed for the cast product, and only its end pointing in the direction of the roller guide is so constructed as to be movable to the level of the depositing plane of the roller bed. The main portion of the receiving device can thereby be stationarily mounted in the plant. For starting bars of relatively large size it is an advantage that the plane of deposition of the starting-bar receiving device should correspond to the length of the starting bar, and should be formed of rollers arranged in a plane, the frame of which is rockably suspended above the roller bed for the casting, in such a way that the end pointing in the direction of the roller guide of the continuous casting plant is movable into the deposition range of the roller bed. By this means, the starting bar, as soon as it has run on to the deposition plane, is brought, together with the latter, away from the region of the roller bed, by a simple upward rocking, so that the succeeding cast product can run on to the roller bed Without hindrance. After the termination of a casting operation, as soon as it becomes necessary to take the plant into operation again, the starting bar admits of being supplied, by lowering the appropriate end of the receiving device, directly to the roller guide or to the set of driving rollers preceding the latter, without the roller bed as a whole having to be freed from the cast product.

In a further development of the invention the startingbar receiving device is constructed as a drum-like body arranged above the roller bed for the cast product, the

lower portion of this drum-like body being oscillatably pivoted and being capable of being brought into the depositing region of the roller bed. For especially long starting bars it is advantageous if the upper portion of the said receiving device is constructed as a segment, and is arranged so far above the roller bed that the casting only bears upon the segmental body in one position, and its free end, hanging down, is located outside the range of the roller bed. Advantageously, however, the end of the starting bar that is hanging down remains upon the oscillatably pivoted lower portion of the receiving device, so as to enable the starting bar to be held in a position of readiness for introduction.

The oscillatably pivoted part of the starting-bar receiving device, in a further development of the invention, upon being lifted out of the roller bed region, effects at the same time a release of the starting bar from the starting head, which forms a unit with the cast product. For this the starting bar is connected by claws in a simple manner with the starting head. The bringing of the starting bar on to the receiving device may advantageously be effected by means of a cable line.

constructional examples of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a side View of continuous casting plant comprising a starting-bar receiving device constructed as a rocker;

FIGURE 2 shows a cross section of the said receiving device in the region of the rockable suspension;

FIGURE 3 shows a side view of a starting-bar receiving device of drum-like construction, which is preferably employed for multi-str-and continuous casting installations, for the casting of billet cross sections; and

FIGURE 4 shows a view of this device, looking in the direction of the arrow A in FIGURE 3.

In FIGURE 1, by 1 is denoted a set of driving rollers following a roller guide of curved construction which is not shown. 2 denotes the rollers of a roller bed, not further illustrated, for the cast product 3. By 4 is denoted the frame of a starting-bar receiving device, which is rockably supported about pivots 6 (FIGURE 2). The receiving plane for the starting bar 7, which consists of members pivotally connected with one another, is formed by rollers -8, journalled in the frames 4. In order that the starting bar may not be able to sag between the rollers 8 owing to its flexibility, supporting bodies 9 are arranged between the latter. The end 10 of the receiving device adjacent to the set of driving rollers 1 is lowered, in the position illustrated, so far that its foremost roller 8 is located in the region of the depositing plane 11 of the roller bed formed by the rollers 2. In this position the starting bar 7 is supplied to the set of driving rollers 1, and from there is passed over a roller guide, not shown, right into the transit chill-mould. At the commencement of casting the starting bar is passed, at a speed corresponding to the speed of casting, directly on to the receiving device, and as soon as the starting head, which is likewise not further illustrated, leaves the set of driving rollers, the receiving device is tilted, by actuating a hydraulic cylinder 12, into the position represented by dotted lines. A claw-like connection of the associated end of the starting bar with the starting head in automatically released when the receiving device is tilted upwards, and the starting head now forms a unit with the cast product. The casting then advances for the further treatment, on to the roller-bed rollers 2 underneath the receiving device. Whilst the starting bar is at first transported by the set of driving rollers on to the receiving device, it is next drawn completely on to the receiving device, after it has left the set of driving rollers, by a cable winch 14, arranged upon girders 13. The winch cable 15 is for this purpose passed around a guide pulley 16, and secured to the end 7 of the starting bar. In order that the thermal radiation emitted by the casting may be kept away from the receiving device, and from the starting bar, a protective sheet 17 is arranged on the side of the receiving device facing the casting.

The starting-bar receiving device of FIGURE 3 consists of a drumdike segment 19, which is provided with rollers 18, and which is arranged above the roller-bed rollers 20, and of a lower receiving member 22, which is oscill-atably pivoted to the standards 21, and is brought, by means of a tension rod 23, by hydraulic cylinder 24, into the depositing plane 25, for the introduction or reception of the starting bar 26. To diminish friction, rollers 27 are provided on the lower receiving member 22. As soon as the starting bar 26 has left the driving rollers 29, the lower section of the receiving member 22 of the receiving device is brought into the position represented by dotted lines, by actuating the hydraulic cylinder 24. The end 28 of the starting bar is now unlatched from the starting head 30, which forms a unit with the casting 31. The cast product can then run without hindrance on to the roller-bed rollers 20. The height of the receiving segment 1 above the roller-bed rollers '20 is determined according to the length of the starting bar 26. The starting-bar is drawn up by way of a cable winch 32, the cable 33 of which is connected with the leading end 34 of the starting bar.

As FIGURE 4 shows, three starting bars 26, 26b and 260 of different cross sections, are mounted upon the segments 19. To enable the particular starting bar to be brought exactly into the feeding axis 35, the segments 19 are so constructed as to be displaceable transversely to the feeding axis 35. For this purpose rails 36 are arranged upon columns 37, to serve for the guidance of the segments 19, which are provided with rollers 38 running upon these rails. The displacement is effected by way of a hand crank 39, which drives the rollers 38b of the selected segment individually by way of an intermediate gear at The starting bars 26b and 26c that are not in operation are held upon their segments by means of plug bolts 41, and hang down freely by one end 28b, 28c. The driving of the cable winches 32 for drawing up the starting bars is effected with the interposition of the intermediate gears 42 and 43 and of articulated spindles 44 and 45, by the drive of the set of driving rollers 46.

I claim:

1. Continuous casting plant, comprising: a curved guide, a roller bed for the removal of the casting, a flexible starting bar, a starting-bar receiving and supplying device, and a set of driving rollers for impelling the starting bar and the casting, said receiving and supplying device including a depositing surface which is movable into and out of alinement with said roller bed.

2. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 1, the flexible starting bar being formed of individual members pivotally connected with one another.

3. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 1, said receiving and supplying device being arranged away from the plane of the roller bed for the removal of the casting, and only the end of its depositing surface adjacent the driving rollers being movable into the plane of said roller bed.

4. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 1, the starting-bar receiving and supplying device including: a frame rockably suspended above the roller bed for the removal of the casting, said depositing surface consisting of rollers mounted in said rockable frame, the length of said depositing surface being as great as the length of the starting bar, and the end of said depositing surface adjacent the driving rollers being movable into and out of the plane of the roller bed by rocking said frame.

5. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 1, the starting-bar receiving and supplying device comprising: a drum-like segment arranged above the roller bed serving for the removal of the casting, and a rockable receiving member having said depositing surface movable into and out of alinement with said roller bed.

6. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 5, the segmental upper portion of the receiving and supplying device being located so far above said roller bed that when the leading end of the starting bar is located upon the segmental upper portion, the trailing end of the starting bar is clear of said roller bed.

7. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 5, the height of the segmental upper portion of the receiving and supplying device above the lower portion being such, in relation to the length of the starting bar, that when theleading end of the starting bar is located upon the upper portion of said device, the trailing end of the starting bar is still in contact with the rockable lower portion of the device.

8. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a starting head, forming a unit with the casting, and temporarily attached to the starting bar, the rockable lower portion of the receiving and supplying device, upon being rocked away from said roller bed, being adapted to disconnect the starting bar from the starting head.

9. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 8, the starting bar and the starting head being provided with claws adapted to engage one another.

10. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 1, the set of driving rollers being adapted to impel the starting bar towards the depositing surface of the receiving and supplying device, and the plant further comprising a cable 5 line adapted to be attached to the starting head, and means for hauling on the cable line so as to pull the starting bar up on to said depositing surface.

11. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 10, further comprising means for actuating the cable line and the driving rollers from a common source of power, and intermediate gears connecting the drive for the cable line with the drive for the driving rollers.

12. Continuous casting plant as claimed in claim 5, the segmental upper portion of the receiving and supplying device being adapted to accommodate a plurality of starting bars, and being displaceable transversely to the axis of supply of the starting bars.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,891,294 6/1959 Muller et al. 22-572 5 2,920,359 1/1960 Easton et al. 22-57.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,280,393 11/1961 France.

900,734 7/ 1962 Great Britain.

10 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

R. S. ANNEAR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT, COMPRISING: A CURVED GUIDE, A ROLLER BED FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE CASTING, A FLEXIBLE STARTING BAR, A STARTING-BAR RECEIVING AND SUPPLYING DEVICE, AND A SET OF DRIVING ROLLERS FOR IMPELLING THE STARTING BAR AND THE CASTING, SAID RECEIVING AND SUPPLYING DEVICE INCLUDING A DEPOSITING SURFACE WHICH IS MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF ALINEMENT WITH SAID ROLLER BED. 